Circle of Trust

We’re four weeks into this FORGED series, walking through Don Ross’ How to Be a Man — asking the question our culture has forgotten:  What is a man actually meant to be?  What traits make a MAN?

Strength taught us to carry weight.
Courage taught us to move despite fear.
Honor taught us to hold a standard — even when no one is watching.

Today we stepped into Skill. And in Don Ross’ framework, Skill isn’t about talent, flash or personal achievement.
Skill is competence for the sake of others.
It’s the practical capability that makes a man useful to the people around him.
A man with skill brings value. He steadies chaos. He solves problems. He shows up able to contribute — not just consume.

Skill is not something a man develops for himself. —  It’s something he develops because others depend on him.

Now, in Ross’ book, Skill comes before Honor.We intentionally switched that order in this series — and here’s why:

Skill without honor is dangerous.  Skill without honor serves the self, not the community. Skill without honor becomes manipulation, not service.

You can be talented, strong, clever, capable — but if your character isn’t forged first, your skill could be pointed in the wrong direction.

Honor grounds Skill.  Honor gives Skill purpose. Honor makes Skill safe for other people.

So we forged Honor first — the internal code, the integrity, the line that keeps a man true.
Then we forged Skill — the competence that makes him useful.

Here’s the challenge for this week:
Where do you need to sharpen your skill — not for your own sake, but for someone else’s?   Your wife. Your kids. Your team. Your brothers.  Your community.
Who needs you to be more capable, more steady, more useful?

Strength carries the weight.
Courage steps into the unknown.
Honor holds the line.

Skill makes a man valuable to the world around him.